Shaking table tests on double-row anti-slide piles of slopes under earthquakes

A large shaking table test is performed to study the seismic performance of a slope with double-row anti-slide piles triggered by seismic load. Different dynamic response characteristics and failure mechanisms are studied by comparing the failure processes of a pile-anchor mixed support system and a single pile support system. The tests show that shear failure first occurs at the slope toe under a pile-anchor mixed support. As the horizontal acceleration increases, tension crack starts to develop at the top of the slope. The overall failure of the slope occurs when a global failure surface is formed, connecting the shear failure at the toe and tension crack at the top. However, tension cracks first appear at the slope top under the single pile support conditions. These cracks extend towards the slope toe as the acceleration increases and eventually lead to the overall slope failure. The experimental observations and data demonstrate that the seismic performance of the former is better than that of the latter. The slope failure is the result of the combined effect of tension and shear. This experimental study has laid a solid foundation for the seismic design of anti-slide piles.